Successful and beautiful doctor Antonia (Margherita Buy) has been happily married to the equally successful Massimo (Andrea Renzi). They have been married since school years and even though they don’t have any children, they are content about the state of their lives. That’s why Antonia’s world comes crashing down when Massimo dies in an accident. With her best friend/love of her life gone, she is depressed and very upset. But she gets a bigger shock when she finds out that her perfect husband was cheating on her. So she starts following the clues, which lead her to the interesting and colorful group of friends who hang out together: gays, heteroes, hookers, transsexuals….One of gay guys has AIDS and is doted on by his friends. One of the women is Turkish (Serra Yilmaz) and she has been a part of the gang for a long time. The center of the group seems to be the handsome, confident if not a little cocky and fun-loving gay guy called Michele (Stefano Accorsi).
The gang tries to get rid of Antonia as soon as they can as they really don’t want to give her the information she wants. But Antonia is sure her husband’s mistress is related to the group. In fact, from his evasive manners, she is certain it is Massimo’s sister or someone like that. So she gets another shock when she finds out it was Michele. Not only her husband had been cheating on her (for 7 years!!!), but he had been doing it with a guy.
Antonia is outraged and well, Michele isn’t all that happy to meet her either. But their curiosity eventually drives them together. Antonia starts hanging out with them and in a way, she does feel a sense of belonging. The gang likes her and to his surprise, so does Michele. However, life is not done throwing surprises their way. As they get to know each other more, they realize that Massimo is not their only thing in common. It seems even that Antonia and Michele seem more like soul mates than Antonia and Massimo or Massimo and Michele. But can romantic love exist between a gay man and a heterosexual woman? But if it is just friendship, why is Antonia getting annoyed by his “liberal lifestyle” and Michele seems pissed that Antonia might be interested in Emir (Koray Candemir), the young and cute Turkish guy who is visiting the gang?
Le Fate Ignoranti can be directly translated to English as The Ignorant Fairies- named after the painting featured in the film. But the English title is called His Secret Life. While it does seem a bit bland, it is a highly relevant translation.
La Fate Ignoranti is a delightful, entertaining, refreshing and emotional piece. It is impossible not to empathize with Antonia, who deals with the situation pretty well- given the circumstances. The movie was made in 2001 and when it first came to the theaters, I made the mistake of avoiding this film. After all, the premise did sound a little off. Being curious about your husband’s mistress is natural but why would anyone want to make friends with him/her? But the movie is told in such a great way that Antonia’s connection with Michele seems like the most natural thing in the world.
My favorite scene is when Antonia and Michele realize their favorite poet is the same. It is a very significant moment in the movie, as it becomes a big “A-ha” moment for them, especially for Michele.
The blurry perception of sexuality in the film can be attributed to the director’s real life views – as he believes that all people are bisexual to a certain extent and he admits to being one. You don’t have to agree with him, but the conversation about Antonia that takes place between Michele and the gang pretty much sums it up. When Serra asks about his feelings for her, others joke that it is not possible since the woman isn’t a lesbian. And when Michele wants to deem her suggestion ridiculous, she says she is talking about love and romance and he shouldn’t be thinking with his d***.
Written by Gianni Romoli and Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek. Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek. Voted 7.4 on IMDB by about 3.500 people. I agree with the rating. This movie is sweet, fun, refreshing and very romantic at its core. The Turkish audience might enjoy the references, as the favorite poet is Turkish, the poster on the wall is a Turkish singer (Ajda Pekkan) and Emir is played by Koray Candemir, front man of Kargo- a popular Turkish rock band.
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